Senior Member
Posts: 3,161
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Detroit, MI
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another good read-2 stories -
03-23-2005, 11:08 AM
I borrowed this from OTDs forums:
if this has been posted before go ahead and delete
> STORY NUMBER ONE:
>
> Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't
> famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy
> city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
>
> Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was his lawyer for a
> good reason: Eddie was very good. In fact, Eddie's skill at legal
> maneuvering kept "Big Al" out of jail for a long time.
>
> To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the
> money big, but also Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and
> his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of
> the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled
an
> entire Chicago city block.
>
> Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little
> consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have
> one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw
> to it that his young son had the best of everything: clothes, cars,
> and a good education; nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And,
> despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to
> teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man
> than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two
> things he couldn't give his son: He couldn't pass on a good name and
a
> good example.
>
> One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. He wanted to
rectify
> wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and
tell
> the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name,
and
> offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have
> to testify against the mob, and he knew that the cost would be
> great. He testified and, within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in
a
> blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street. But, in his eyes, he had
> given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest
price
> he would ever pay.
>
> Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious
> medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read:
>
> The clock of life is wound but once
> And no man has the power
> To tell just when the hands will stop
> At late or early hour.
>
> Now is the only time you own.
> Live, love, toil with a will.
> For the clock may soon be still.
>
>
> STORY NUMBER TWO:
>
> World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant
> Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the
> aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.
>
> One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was
> airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had
> forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to
> complete his mission and get back to his ship.
>
> His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he
> dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
>
> As he was returning to the mother ship, Butch saw something that
> turned his blood cold: A squadron of Japanese aircraft were speeding
> their way toward the American fleet. The American fighters were gone
> on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach
> his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could
> he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing
> to do: He must somehow divert them from the fleet.
>
> Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, Butch O'Hare dove into
> the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 calibers blazed as
> he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another.
> Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as
many
> planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.
> Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to
> clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as
> possible and rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated
> Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
>
> Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to
> the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event
> surrounding his return. The film from the gun camera mounted on his
> plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt
to
> protect his fleet. He had in fact destroyed five enemy aircraft. This
> took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the
> Navy's first Ace of WWII, and the first Naval Aviator to win the
> Congressional Medal of Honor. A year later Butch was killed in aerial
> combat at the age of 29.
>
> His home town would not allow the memory of this WWII hero to fade,
> and today O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the
courage
> of this great man.
>
> So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give
some
> thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his
> Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.
>
>
> SO, WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
>
> Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.
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